Funds delay affecting services, Nalau says

 By PISAI GUMAR
MOROBE Deputy Governor Judas Nalau says the late payment of service improvement funds by the Government is hindering service delivery and development in the province.
Nalau claimed that the rural areas of Morobe could not depend on the service improvement funds allocated by the Government  for development purposes because they were not paid in a timely manner to support Morobe’s nine districts and 33 local level governments.
Nalau said the late release of the K15 million district services improvement programme funds had affected many vital projects in the LLGs.
“Hence some portion of the internal revenue should be allocated to support projects in rural areas” he said.
Nalau said this when he opened a new double classroom at the Rabisap Elementary School at Wain-Erap in Nawaeb last Friday.
“The K100,000 LLGSIP (local level government services improvement programme) was inadequate for the 33 LLGs,” Nalau said.
“The geographical locations make it difficult to deliver project materials and equipment but councillors (in their respective areas) do it somehow.”
Meanwhile, Wain-Erap president Charlie Foike said the K64,000 land and physical infrastructure plus the K100,000 LLGSIP funds were inadequate for his area.
However, Foike said he was doing his best to deliver services with the resources he had.
Foike facilitated the upgrading of the 10-kilometre road from Torowa to Rabisap.